Looking Forward to...The Salzburg, and Ippudo in SF!

A few months ago, Union Larder owner Jay Esopenko tipped me off that he had a new project coming down the pike, and now that the ABC paperwork has hit the wires, I can tell you more. Esopenko and his wife Melissa Gugni’s first project, Little Vine in North Beach, is about to have a neighbor: ~THE SALZBURG~, which is moving into the former Cinecittà space.

Esopenko says it’s going to be an Austrian wine tavern (heuriger) featuring food, wine, and beer influenced by Germany, Austria, and Northern Italy. Here’s more: “The drink focus will be on the wine regions surrounding the Alps and their American counterparts like Tatomer, Massican, Matthiasson, Forlorn Hope, and Teutonic. Our house wine is being made by Sandlands and we’ll also have an stellar beer selection with over 10 on tap.”

As for executive chef Ramon Siewert’s menu, look for housemade sausages and salumi, and since this location has a grill and fryer, there will be schnitzel, a burger, and other dishes, too, many inspired by Alpine wine regions. Union Larder’s cheese director Kristi Bachman will be in charge of the Alpine-focused cheese program.

The same firm (8inc) that helped design Union Larder will be the architects for this project. They will be doing a complete demolition of the interior and facade (the front windows will open completely), and they will be adding a 500-square-foot heated patio with a fireplace out back. There will also be a small dining area downstairs available for private events (with room for up to 20 guests). I’ll keep you posted on this as things take shape. 663 Union St. at Columbus.

Back in January, the SF Bay Area was getting excited about the prospect of New York’s wildly popular ramen shop, ~IPPUDO~, coming to downtown Berkeley, and now according to ABC license activity, SF is getting a location too! Eater heard back from an Ippudo rep, who confirmed it will be opening a location in the former Lark Creek Steak in the Westfield San Francisco Centre in March 2017. The location will be a big one, featuring “70 seats in the main dining room, 36 in the private dining room, 10 at the chef’s counter, and 20 in the bar.”